SWEDISH SAFETY EXPERTS introduced a tough new child seat crash test in 2007 to encourage European seat makers to develop safer seats. The Swedish Plus Test is primarily concerned with the stress that is put on a child’s neck in a frontal impact. Studies of real crashes revealed that children suffer more severe head and neck injuries than adults in car crashes, and that they cannot withstand impacts of more than 130kg. The Plus Test measures the force put on a child’s neck in an impact and only awards a pass to seats that keep this below 122kg.
There are three important differences between the Plus Test and the tests that are carried out during homologation for European approval.The vehicle is doing 56km/h in the Swedish test, rather than 50km/h; the braking distance is shorter, so the impact on the car seat is greater; and the forces exerted on the neck of the crash test dummy are measured using more precise sensors.